Microsoft has pushed through another round of Xbox Series X/S price increases across Europe and the UK, and this one is big.
The standard Xbox Series X with a disc drive is now listed at roughly €799.99 in the eurozone and £669.99 in the UK. That’s about €200 more than its previous recommended price of around €599.99, an increase of roughly 33% in a single move.
The entry-level Xbox Series S hasn’t been spared either. The 512GB model is reported at around £429.99 in the UK, close to what the far more powerful Series X cost at launch.
The numbers next to the launch prices
| Model | Launch price (Nov 2020) | New reported price | Change from launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series S 512GB (UK) | £249.99 | ~£429.99 | ~+£180 (~72%) |
| Series X 1TB disc (UK) | £449.99 | ~£669.99 | ~+£220 (~49%) |
| Series X 1TB disc (eurozone) | €499.99 | ~€799.99 | ~+€300 (~60%) |
This isn’t the first hike this generation. Microsoft raised Xbox hardware prices globally in May 2025, blaming “market conditions and the rising cost of development,” then adjusted US prices again later in the year. So the “€200 more” refers to the previous price, not the launch price. The gap versus 2020 is far larger.
The Series X and Series S launched on 10 November 2020. Five years into a generation, consoles normally get cheaper, get a slim revision, or at least show up in permanent promotions. Instead, the Series X now costs more than a PS5 Pro did in some markets when it arrived.
The pressure is real, though. Memory is the problem child: DRAM and NAND flash prices have surged as data-center and AI buildouts hoover up manufacturing capacity, and consoles are stuffed with fast memory and SSD storage. Add currency swings, tariffs, and shipping costs, and the old “components get cheaper every year” rule stops working.
The cheap Xbox isn’t cheap anymore
The Series S was the whole point of Microsoft’s “low entry price” strategy. At roughly £430, that pitch is basically gone. Players have been quick to point out that they bought Series S units for £220 in late 2021 and Series X consoles for £350 in an Argos Christmas sale.
The obvious knock-on effect is on GTA VI. A late-generation blockbuster usually drags in casual buyers who need a console to play it. That impulse purchase looks very different at £670 than it did at £450.
Expect used and refurbished hardware to look a lot more attractive, and watch retailer listings closely over the next few weeks. Argos, Smyths, Currys, and Amazon may all move at different speeds, and existing shelf stock is the last place you will find the old price.
